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Palestinians Skeptical Of Abbas UN Bid

On Nov. 29, the UN General Assembly will consider a resolution to grant non-state observer status in the UN General Assembly. But the effort by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has generated skepticism and antipathy among many Palestinians.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas gestures during a news conference in the West Bank city of Ramallah November 16, 2012.   Palestinian militants nearly hit Jerusalem with a rocket for the first time in decades on Friday and fired at Tel Aviv for a second day, in a stinging challenge to Israel's Gaza offensive after an Egyptian bid to broker a truce. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)

RAMALLAH, West Bank— As Israel continues to pound Gaza with air attacks and contemplates a ground invasion, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is preparing his bid for Palestinian non-state membership at the UN General Assembly. The question is: With Gaza on their minds, Abbas’ plummeting popularity and negotiations with Israel at a standstill, are Palestinians paying attention?

In stark contrast to the euphoric atmosphere of last year’s Palestinian bid for recognition of statehood at the United Nations, Palestinians today are ambivalent, skeptical, even downright angry at the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) upcoming request for non-state membership later this month.

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